by Laura Parker Roerden
It is with deep sadness that we share that Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, age 70, has passed away from cancer. Our Ocean Matters Florida Marine Ecology Expedition was born from a dinner our director of dive instruction and board president Laura McCallion and I had with Dr. Powell in 2017 where he embraced the idea of Ocean Matters as an educational partner of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA). I remember saying to Laura McCallion after the meeting that “Buddy” (as he preferred to be called) was among the kindest of humans I had ever met. The ensuing wonderful collaboration we had with him and CMA only re-affirmed that observation and led to some of the more extraordinary moments that Ocean Matters has been privileged to witness.
I remember casually asking Buddy how he had become a marine biologist when we were together on his beloved Crystal River, where he was introducing Laura and I to the manatees he had spent his lifetime studying and protecting. I probably should have googled him prior to this, but I’m glad I hadn’t, because what I learned was such an epic tale that it bears repeating. Buddy answered that he had grown up on the Crystal River where as a boy he and his Boston Whaler tooled around fishing and becoming acquainted with the many manatees that made the river their home. He knew the animals intimately: where to find them, their habits and behaviors, and even could identify individuals by boat strike marks on their flippers. He was only thirteen when he was hired by a Cornell zoology graduate student Daniel Hartman to guide him on the river for research that was later featured in the September, 1967 issue of National Geographic magazine. Buddy good-naturedly quipped with a laugh that he was “hired because he had a boat.”
But Hartman saw the enormous value in this teenager’s knowledge about manatees and included Buddy in the article. This led to the famous marine biologist Jacques Cousteau hiring Buddy for another manatee project; and what started as a child’s curiosity and passion led to 50 years of research and conservation as the foremost expert in the world on manatees.
At the start of Ocean Matters and CMA’s collaboration, Buddy was serving as the Vice President of Conservation and also was affiliated with Mote Marine Lab. But he generously made time for weekly calls and was involved in every detail of planning the collaboration together. He cared so deeply that young people have the experiences that he had had as a child that had so clearly sparked his imagination and dedication. He gave the Ocean Matters students access to so much of CMA’s programming and to such rare experiences as time with a turtle biologist tagging during nesting season and accompanied the teens himself as their guide when we went to Crystal River to see the manatees. Buddy gave of himself with such joy and his love for the ocean and for the manatees in his care shown brightly.
As we prepared to get into the water at Crystal River on snorkels, Buddy encouraged the young people to “get in tune with their inner log.” The manatee’s threatened status meant that we were not allowed to approach the manatees, but rather must wait for them to approach us. I don’t think you can quantify what a valuable experience it can be to lay stock-still floating on the surface of the water waiting to see if an animal will grace you with their presence. Buddy was teaching the teens much more than science.
Later back on the boat we ate bagged picnic lunches and shared our individual encounters with the animals. There was not a story shared that Buddy couldn’t elaborate on. When a baby manatee had come eye to eye with someone’s face mask, Buddy knew the back story.
“That calf was recently orphaned—it’s mother was a victim of a boat strike.”
“Will it survive,” we asked?
“No, not likely,” he answered.
The hush over the boat was palpable, as you could feel the wave of caring rise in every one of the teenagers. I’m often curious about what creates a sense of community in a group, but moments like this one can seem to solidify something special in a group. Buddy had that sort of effect. His quiet, calm and deep caring inspired others to do the same.
Buddy supported the Ocean Matters teens in making an ocean advocacy film one summer and had this to offer the young people as perspective on the many problems facing the ocean:
“But the thing is these are all things that either directly or indirectly are human related. And it’s something that’s fixable. It’s something we can take actions to do something about.”
Buddy was a world-renowned marine biologist and foremost expert on manatees, had a PhD from Cambridge University, had piloted planes for North Atlantic Right whale surveys and lived around the world, founded a nonprofit, was responsible for the creation of several marine sanctuaries, won international awards, was a National Geographic Explorer and had led an Aquarium. But honestly, what stands out about Buddy to those of us at Ocean Matters who worked with him was his enormous humility and kindness. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Buddy’s wife Maureen had said that one of the last pieces of advice he had given before he died was “to be patient with people and animals.”
We think Buddy was much like the manatees he loved so much: a gentle giant of a man who we are grateful to have been graced by his presence.
Laura Parker Roerden is Ocean Matters founder and executive director.
